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Tottenham have reportedly set a surprise price tag for the sale of star defender Micky van de Ven as Real Madrid plan a January move for the defender.

Tottenham set for busy January transfer window

Under-fire boss Thomas Frank has already confirmed the club’s intention to be active in recruitment next month, with the race heating up for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

Tottenham are reportedly prepared to shatter their wage structure in pursuit of Semenyo when the January window explodes into life.

The Ghanaian’s £65 million release clause activates on New Year’s Day, and the north London club have emerged as one of the most aggressive suitors for his signature, according to recent reports.

Frank views the 25-year-old winger as absolutely essential to transforming Spurs’ stuttering attack, with media sources claiming Tottenham are willing to make Semenyo their highest-paid player to win the race against Liverpool, Man City and Man United.

David Ornstein revealed this week that Spurs maintain genuine interest in the Bournemouth star alongside City’s Savinho as alternative options for wide attacking reinforcements.

Related Tottenham hold 'formal' talks with star over personal terms in 'crazy market'

Spurs have a battle on their hands.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini

The club will have funds available if the right profile emerges, with January viewed as an opportunity rather than a luxury, according to credible reports.

Semenyo’s release clause carries a time-limited activation period early next month, specifically until January 10, before dropping closer to £50 million next summer — creating intense urgency among competing clubs.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, have reportedly accepted his departure is inevitable and are already identifying replacements, including Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson.

Right now, Janaury reports at Tottenham centre around their potential deal for Semenyo as Frank’s side try to inject some much-needed dynamism and creativity into their forward line.

Their first transfer window post-Daniel Levy carries plenty of intrigue, with the Lewis family undoubtedly keen to make a statement after plenty of boardroom changes in the last few months.

Therefore, this latest report from Spain on van de Ven and Real comes as all the more surprising.

Tottenham set bizarre Micky van de Ven price as Real Madrid circle

According to Spanish media sources, Xabi Alonso’s side are plotting a January deal for the Dutchman, who has marked himself out as one of the Lilywhites’ most crucial players this season.

Van de Ven’s stunning solo goal against FC Copenhagen, which drew comparisons to Son Heung-min’s Puskas winner against Burnley in 2019, is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the centre-back’s contribution this season.

The 24-year-old has been a key man for both Ange Postecoglou and Frank, but it is now claimed that Spurs have set a £44 million ‘asking price’ for van de Ven as Real circle this winter.

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It’s safe to say that, regardless of the Bernabeu being an obvious temptation for any player, this should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Van de Ven is only an ever-present leader for Tottenham, but his contract also doesn’t expire until 2029, meaning the club are in a very strong position to demand big money for one of the Premier League’s most elite centre-backs.

Spurs are also believed to be readying talks over a new van de Ven contract which would double his salary, even if club legend Glenn Hoddle believes he won’t sign it.

Even if van de Ven being tempted away is a genuine possibility at some point in the future, if Spurs don’t improve, it certainly can’t be for just £44 million.

Related Scouts urging Tottenham to sign £40m star who's impressed PSG instead of Semenyo

Spurs have a quality alternative to the Ghanaian.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini

Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), has distanced himself from comments made by Ian Smith, the association’s legal advisor.Smith was quoted in The Guardian as warning that the players are set to pass a vote of no confidence in the ICC. “People are increasingly seriously asking why aren’t we walking away,” Smith said. “The competence of the administrators is being called into question at a policy level. We believe that because the players are better organised and that talent has been radically revalued by the Indian leagues it’s time to look at whether the players can do a better job than the current policy makers.”But May moved quickly to clarify that Smith’s views were not those of FICA. “Ian’s comments represent his personal view on the matter and do not represent FICA’s position at this time. This is not to say, however, that FICA does not have concerns with the governance structure of the ICC.”After the World Cup last year, which was widely considered to have been poorly administered, FICA issued a poll in which 56% of players who took part expressed a lack of confidence in the ICC. “FICA stated its concerns with the governance structure of the ICC at that time and called upon the ICC to review its governance structure, to determine whether its current structure is the most appropriate for an international sport,” May said. “FICA’s position in regard to this issue has not changed.”May added that FICA was undertaking another survey with the results expected at the end of next month. “We will then communicate any relevant matters that relate directly to ICC, direct with the ICC.”

The Irish Cricket Union has confirmed the dates for India’s three-match series against South Africa in Belfast and also two ODIs where Ireland will play both teams.The three-match series will start on June 26 with subsequent matches on June 29 and July 1. Ireland will play India on June 23 and South Africa the following day in their first ODIs since the World Cup.”The Irish Cricket Union is proud that two such great cricketing nations as India and South Africa are coming to Ireland to play each other and against Ireland,” said ICU chief executive Warren Deutrom. “Following last year’s hugely successful match at Stormont between Ireland and England, the ICU is delighted that top-class cricket continues to come to Ireland, in the first ever matches between full Test nations here.”These matches will not only continue to put Irish cricket on the map after the success of the Ireland team at the World Cup, but should provide a real financial impetus to our objectives for the future of the game.”In original discussions it had been suggested that Australia would be India’s opposition but those plans fell through. The series will be South Africa’s first commitments since the World Cup although some of the players are due to appear in the Afro-Asia cup in early June. For India, the three ODIs will act as preparation for their tour of England which starts in July.

Sanath Jayasuriya could return for the second Test at Edgbaston © Getty Images

Sanath Jayasuriya has been recalled to the Sri Lankan Test side after reversing his decision to retire. The selectors met this afternoon, after Jayasuriya indicated a willingness to make himself available for Tests again, and decided to send him to England as soon as possible.Jayasuriya met with Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka’s new chairman of selectors, on Wednesday morning to discuss his possible return. The decision has been ratified by the Sports Ministry and although Jayasuriya’s travel details have not been confirmed he is likely to arrive in the UK midway through the first Test.”Jayasuriya indicated a willingness to make himself available for Test cricket again and we decided to send him to England as soon as possible,” de Mel told AFP. “Sanath can’t reach England in time for the first Test. But he will have enough time to acclimatise and get himself focussed for the second and third Tests.”The muddled scenario is an unwelcome distraction for a young team that ought to be using this tour to build for the future, and their coach, Tom Moody, admitted that the uncertainty would probably be weighing on the minds of his probable openers, Michael Vandort and Upul Tharanga.”I suppose it’s something sitting in the back of your head, ‘is he coming, isn’t he coming?'”, said Moody. “But we in the senior group are encouraging the younger players to stay focused on the opportunity they’ve got. They need to concentrate on that, there’s no point looking over their shoulders.”Whether it’s a senior player coming back or a younger player knocking on door, it makes no difference,” added Moody. “The pressure’s the same, and you need to take the opportunities when they come. We’ll just concentrate on our game. England go into contest as favourites, but there’s no point worrying what their expectations are, that’s irrelevant. We’re going in to win the contest, with spirit and self-belief.”Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka’s chief executive, denied a report appearing in that claimed that the decision to send Jayasuriya to England had already been made, saying that he first needed a letter confirming that Jayasuriya had reconsidered his decision to retire. “At this stage I have not received a letter,” Mendis said. “When I do, the selection committee will have to meet to confirm and then his selection would have to be ratified with the sports ministry. Only then could arrangements be made for him to join the England tour.”Jayasuriya retired from Test cricket in April, midway through a home series against Pakistan, when the previous selection committee, headed by Lalith Kaluperuma, communicated their plans to blood new openers during the England Test series. Jayasuriya was offered the chance of a dignified farewell Test or an unceremonious sacking.But de Mel, appointed last week, made it clear that he wanted Jayasuriya to reconsider his decision to retire: “When the selectors knew that Marvan [Atapattu] is not going to make it to England with his back problem they should have continued with Jayasuriya. He just played a county season in England last year and and is the only Sri Lankan to have scored a double hundred in England. What more credentials do you want?”

Gavin Hamilton: available to Scotland in build-up to ICC Trophy © Getty Images

Gavin Hamilton will be part of Scotland’s squad for their next six National League matches after a loan agreement was reached between Durham and the ECB.Hamilton will be available to Scotland to help him, and the rest of the squad, prepare for the ICC Trophy, in Ireland during July, from which the top six teams qualify for the 2007 World Cup. Hamilton goes straight into the squad for the double-header over the Bank Holiday weekend against Warwickshire and Yorkshire.Scotland’s coach, Andy Moles, said: “This is a wonderful, win, win, win development. Durham coach Martyn Moxon has been very supportive, because he wants Gavin to play as much as possible at the top level. We think Gavin will be a great addition to the Saltires, and his presence gives us all a boost as we progress towards the ICC Trophy.”Hamilton, who was Scotland’s leading player during the 1999 World Cup in England, played one Test for England, against South Africa in 1999, but bagged a pair and rapidly disappeared off the radar. He suffered the yips and tried to reinvent himself as a specialist batsman, although he is now bowling again. However, following his move from Yorkshire to Durham in 2004 he has failed to command a regular first-team place.Squad Craig Wright (capt), Yasir Arafat, Jonathan Beukes, Cedric English, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Paul Hoffmann, Dougie Lockhart, Dewald Nel, Colin Smith, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts, Greig Williamson.

Australia 263 for 9 (Bevan 56, Martyn 42) v Zimbabwe. Match abandoned
Scorecard

Ray Price bowled with discipline and control, and getting Ricky Ponting didn’t hurt, either ©Getty Images

Steady rain at the MCG forced the match to be abandoned after the Australian innings was complete. The umpires decided to call the match off at 20.35pm local time. Both teams split points (three each) and will now travel to Perth for their final match against India. Australia finished on a healthy 263 for 9 after 50 overs, despite losing wickets at regular intervals. Damien Martyn’s 42 off 40 balls delighted the sparse crowd before Michael Bevan came to the fore with a run-a-ball 56.Heath Streak opted to field first on a cloudy day, and with Andy Blignaut, tried to extract maximum movement off the pitch. There was hardly anything pitched short, but the line was wayward on a few occasions, and Martyn made them pay. When it was straight, he wristily turned the ball away to square leg. He came down the track a few times and lofted it crisply over the bowler’s head. There was also his favourite slap-cut, when the ball was sprayed wide. No Gilchrist, no brutality. But his 42, off 40 balls, was gorgeous. And when he missed an in-cutter from Streak and was given out lbw, with rain imminent, he was visibly disappointed.Matthew Hayden threatened to impose himself on the game after the brief break when he clattered Douglas Hondo to the midwicket fence. But he fell on the very next ball. Unsure about one that pitched on off stump, he managed an inside edge that ricocheted on to the stumps (69 for 2). Hayden made 23.Ponting held things together as Michael Clarke (11) and Ian Harvey (23) fell after promising starts. Clarke completely misjudged a straight ball from Blessing Mahwire, the debutant, and shouldered arms as the ball clipped the top of his off stump (97 for 3). Harvey smacked a straight six of Ray Price’s first ball, but was run-out after being sent back by Ponting (139 for 4). Ponting smashed a few himself, with a hoicked six over midwicket being the highlight. But just as he and Bevan went about setting up a launching pad, Ponting (35) attempted a wild slog-sweep, and the top edge was easily taken at square leg (155 for 5).That left Bevan in familiar territory. Brad Haddin gave him good company and Bevan settled down into his role of nudging and pushing. Haddin lofted the spinners with ease and summoned the strength to clear the ropes a couple of times. Both put on 58 crucial runs, many of which were quick singles. Bevan favoured the third man region – 24 runs came there – and executed a few delicate late-cuts that could have easily been mistaken for edges.Haddin (32) fell in the 43rd over, inside-edging a ball on to his stumps (213 for 6), and Brad Hogg followed soon after. But Andy Bichel joined Bevan and they accelerated in fine fashion. They added 38 in exactly five overs, and shifted the momentum to a considerable extent. Bevan went for a run-a-ball 56 as he attempted a risky second run in the penultimate over (252 for 8), but Bichel finished off with a towering six, and Australia had seized the initiative. Rain, though, had the final say.

Star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will miss Sri Lanka’s crucial VB Series clash against England on Friday after pulling a thigh muscle.Muralitharan, who took four wickets for 27 during Sri Lanka’s four-wicket defeat against Australia on Wednesday, pulled the muscle whilst fielding.The off-spinner returned to the field to complete his final two overs, picking up the wicket of Shane Watson, but did so from a shortened run-up.Muralitharan will miss Sri Lanka’s two remaining group games in the triangular series but should be fit for the finals should Sri Lanka qualify, according to team manager Ajit Jayasekera.”Murali has pulled a muscle and will be out of action for approximately a week to 10 days,” said Jayasekera.Jayasekera confirmed that Muralitharan had insisted on returning to the field and completing his spell despite being in discomfort.Sri Lanka have 13 points and need to beat England, who have 14, if they are to qualify for the three-match finals.Meanwhile, match referee Clive Lloyd fined the Sri Lanka team 15% of their match fee for a slow overate.

An innings of high quality by Nicky Peng assisted top-of-the-table Durham to a substantial total against Essex at Ilford with the 18-year-old remaining unbeaten on 112 when the innings closed on 263-3.The highly promising batsman easily surpassed his previous highest one-day league score of 47 as he made the home attack pay the full price for some inconsistent bowling.Peng reached his half-century from 59 balls that incorporated one six and seven fours and took just a further 51 deliveries before reaching three figures despite adding only four more boundaries.His innings of powerful strokeplay was supported by an equally effective performance by Jon Lewis who scored an unbeaten 63 from 58 deliveries that included six boundaries as he too kept the scoreboard moving at a lively pace.The pair composed a fourth-wicket partnership 127 in 18 overs after opener Danny Law had given the innings some impetus with 47 against his former colleagues as he and Peng added a brisk 72 in 11 overs for the second wicket to set the tone.

Everton’s precarious position in the Premier League is likely to be a persuading factor among a number of their key players to leave the club this summer, along with their financial troubles.

If the Merseyside club survive and extend their stay in the top flight, manager Frank Lampard will likely face the toughest rebuild he has had to undertake during his coaching career, and there will likely be a strong emphasis on youth.

The £12.6m signing of Nathan Patterson in January from Rangers proved the club’s preference for signing younger talents to help rejuvenate the squad, and another hot prospect could be about to arrive at Goodison Park from the Scottish club this summer, 16-year-old Rory Wilson.

What’s the news?

According to the Daily Record, the Toffees had scouts watching the exciting Scotland U17 international, in their game against Germany U17s last week, as well as Celtic youngster Ben Doak.

The report also claims that the Rangers starlet was the focus of attention for Aston Villa and Brighton in a 6-1 thrashing of Georgia, which helped seal the Scots place in this summer’s U17 European Championship finals, scoring his third goal in three qualifying games.

Who is he?

Standing at 6 foot tall with plenty of time to grow even bigger, Wilson is potentially developing into a similar type of player as 6 foot 2 Dominic Calvert-Lewin – using his size, strength and athleticism to win duels and get into goalscoring positions.

The striker has scored seven goals in eight appearances at his current youth level for his country, showing signs of his enormous potential and demonstrating his prolific instincts in front of goal.

He has earned plenty of praise in his short time in the limelight, most notably from his international manager Brian McLaughlin, who believes he has an exciting future.

McLaughlin said after the Georgia victory: “Rory is another who can play again in the next campaign. We have been brave enough to go really young at this age group.

“So Rory is leading the line as a 2006 against big powerful 2005s.

“But he is a clever player, his touch is good, his attitude is superb and his finishing .. for a young boy to be able to finish the way he can finish, just clinical and calm in front of goals.

“It was another top performance from him and even when we put him on the left to give another young boy a chance off the bench it wasn’t a problem because he knows he can score off the left.”

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With the likes of Thomas Cannon and Lewis Dobbin also proving to be exciting young prospects already within the Everton youth team, Wilson would likely start behind them in the youth academy for at least a little while, but neither of them have made the same kind of impression on the international stage that Wilson has, and if the Toffees sign him, he will surely develop into a top talent.

Tall and devastating in front goal, having bagged 40 goals this season, he could certainly be their next Calvert-Lewin too.

In other news: Signed for £0, then became worth £35m: Everton struck gold over “king of blunders”

	Mohammad Ashraful needs to back his words with runs © AFP

Against the backdrop of the uncertainty surrounding Andre Nel’s international future, the short one-day international series between hosts Bangladesh and South Africa comes to a conclusion in Mirpur. South Africa have already clinched the series, and much of the focus rests on whether they can complete the sweep that will take them past as Australia as the best ODI side in the world.Reports on Wednesday suggested Nel, upset at being ignored for the upcoming Test series in India, considered quitting South African cricket. Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s captain, had to vigorously persuade Nel to play in the second match, where the fast bowler returned figures of 4 for 27. Nel has been South Africa’s best bowler of the series, taking seven wickets at 7.28 after he was entrusted the leadership of the attack with Dale Steyn not getting a game.Whether Nel plays tomorrow is uncertain but South Africa still have options in Steyn, Player-of-the-Series in the 2-0 Test whitewash, and Morne Morkel. South Africa’s top order was tested in the second ODI but a match-winning partnership between AB de Villiers and JP Duminy took them home comfortably. For the likes of Duminy, yet to cement his place in the side, and Hashim Amla, only two ODIs old, the final match is another shot to impress in the limited-overs format with a busy international calendar ahead.Gerald Majola, CSA’s chief executive, had one eye on the upcoming Test series in India even as South Africa are poised to sweep the ODI series. “We are confident that [South Africa] will win,” he said, “and finish the international season as the best ODI team in world cricket.”For Bangladesh, who have struggled to compete against South Africa, the scenario offers another shot at saving face. Their form, however, suggests South Africa will have few hassles. The previous game, also in Mirpur, could have been a different story altogether had Bangladesh followed captain Mohammad Ashraful’s wish after he won the toss and put up a 230-plus score on the board. Bangladesh’s batting has been a disappointment in the series – only Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and newcomer Raqibul Hasan managed fifties – and their policy of rotation has come under criticism.An under-fire Ashraful, after Bangladesh mustered just 173 in 48.2 overs despite a record 119-run stand for the fifth wicket, blamed his batsmen but his own form has been dismal recently. He has scored just eight runs in two games, on the back of a poor Test series, and Bangladesh have won nothing under his captaincy.Having debuted a crop of young players, and with several veterans either retired or on the way out, Bangladesh continue to be in a period of change. How well they can adapt, having lost the series, and with this being the last opportunity against Test-match opposition before they host Ireland for a three-match series starting March 18, remains to be seen.